


Mon Petit Frère

by cœurdunerebelle (notjustalittlegirl)



Series: Raoul Pontmercy [1]
Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: AU: Marius and Cosette are Raoul's parents, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fairly liberal use of French, I named Raoul's sisters Lucie and Gabrielle, Kid Fic, Kid Philippe, Kid Raoul, Philippe Pontmercy, Raoul Pontmercy, Raoul is adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-18 15:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9392348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustalittlegirl/pseuds/c%C5%93urdunerebelle
Summary: Raoul wants to play with his older brother, but Philippe is busy.Cosette thinks that her sons are adorable.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, obviously, I'm taking a few liberties with canon. I felt that the timelines of the Phantom movie and Les Mis lined up well enough that I could reasonably write this. Anyway, this is kind of a mash up of the Phantom book and movie. Since I don't know exactly how much older Philippe is than Raoul, so I picture him as around 12 or 13, and Raoul is around 5. (I don't think that Raoul and Philippe's sisters were ever named, and they barely appear in this story, but I have them at around 11 and 9).
> 
> I own neither Phantom nor Les Misérables, and such I'm making no money from this.
> 
> Enjoy!

Cosette was upstairs, changing the sheets and fluffing the pillows on her youngest child Raoul's unmade and messy bed when she heard the shouting coming from downstairs. The Pontmercy home was large enough to comfortably house the family of six, but not large enough to hide the frustrated arguing of Cosette's two sons.

She dropped the sheets instantly, knowing from experience that the only way her boys would settle their argument themselves was if she showed that she was there, and that she wouldn't allow it to get worse. Cosette had been raised in an environment, for the first eight years of her life, adults intervened in tiny matters, beat her, and sent her to bed without any supper. This had made her a firm believer in never interfering in her children's arguments unless absolutely necessary, lest they end up thinking she favored one of them over the others.

Cosette's bare feet made no noise on the stairs, and she was able to stand for a moment in the doorway and observe Raoul and Philippe.

"I said  _no,_ Raoul!" Philippe was sitting on the comfortable armchair in front of the crackling fire, the one that Marius liked to sit in when he came home from a long day at work, holding a book in one hand and trying to shove his younger brother away from him with the other. 

"But  _why?"_ The five year old whined, grabbing onto his older brother's arm. "That stupid book is boring! There aren't no pictures or nothing! I want to play! Gabrielle and Lucie told me to go away when I asked them, but I didn't want to play with them anyway! They're boring! I want to play with _you!_ " 

"I don't want to play! Just leave me  _alone,_ Raoul! Maman," he said suddenly, noticing Cosette standing in the door and considering the right moment to reveal her presence. "Maman, make Raoul leave me alone!" 

"Maman!" shouted Raoul, "Philippe is being mean! He won't play with me!" 

Raoul gave Cosette his best puppy eyes, hoping that she would take his side against her older son. When she didn't say anything, instead suppressing a smile against what she and Marius referred to as "the begging eyes," his lip migrated down into a pout. 

Cosette knew that she shouldn't find her boys' arguments quite so adorable, but Raoul's pout combined with Philippe's annoyed growl made her smile behind her hand. 

Philippe noticed. 

"Maman, it's not funny! Make Raoul leave me alone!" 

"Philippe, you and your brother need to work it out on your own. You know by now that I won't take sides between my boys, and I can't come downstairs every time you have an argument, or else I'll never be able to fluff the pillows the way I know you both like it." 

She was expecting another argument, but was pleasantly surprised when Philippe instead turned to his little brother and grudgingly removed his hand from the younger's arm. 

" _Fine,_ Raoul. If you leave me alone until Papa gets home, I'll play with you then. But go away for now, I'm trying to read my book!" 

Raoul seemed satisfied enough with this response, and ran out the door and followed Cosette back upstairs, distracting himself until his brother was ready to play. Cosette heard the little footsteps pattering as she climbed the stairs, and turned around and scooped him up into her arms. 

"Hello, chérie. How about you come upstairs and help Maman until Papa comes home and Philippe is ready to play?" 

Raoul's version of "helping" turned out to be more like trying to make a blanket fort out of the freshly laundered sheets and pillows that Cosette was trying to put neatly onto his bed. This ended in him rolling around on the bed, gasping out "maman, non!" between giggles as Cosette tickled him mercilessly. 

She finally let him go, pulling the sheets off of him and resigning herself to iron them again before Raoul went to bed. The boy lay there laughing and gasping on his side. She planted a peck on his cheek as the door opened downstairs announcing Marius's arrival home from work. 

Cosette picked up her youngest again and carried him back downstairs, although she knew that he was perfectly capable of walking. As they came upon Marius, taking off his boots and coat in the entryway, Cosette passed Raoul over to give his Papa a hug.

"Salut, mon ange!" Raoul ended up squished between his parents, held halfway by his mother and half by his father, as Marius gave Cosette a fleeting kiss on her lips, brushing a curl back behind her ear. 

She longer to hold on longer, to stay connected to Marius by the lips, but Raoul disgusted cry pulled them apart. 

"Maman, Papa! Non! Kissing's icky!" 

Marius laughed lightly, set Raoul down onto the floor and made his way into the main part of the house, rubbing his temple.

"Bonsoir, Papa," said Philippe absently, barely looking up from his book.

"Bonsoir, Papa!" Two voices echoed from the other room, signaling that Gabrielle and Lucie had noticed that their father had come home.

"Salut, mes filles!" Marius went quickly into the other room and kissed each of his two daughters on the forehead. When he came back into the salon, Marius wrapped his arm around Cosette's shoulder and followed her into the kitchen, where she was stirring a pot of soup.

Raoul had not forgotten Philippe's promise.

"Philippe, you promised to play with me! Papa's home now, you said you'd come and play with me!" Philippe sighed, closing his book with an audible sound.

"Alright, little brother. What do you want to play?"

Raoul grinned happily, showing the space where his first tooth had come out only a few days before, and grabbed Philippe's hand to drag him upstairs.

Marius smiled as he listened to Raoul and Philippe deciding which one of Raoul's games to play. "Good day, Cosette?"

"Yes, my dear." She smiled happily as Marius sank down into the seat by the fire that Philippe had vacated a minute before. "Toussaint is ill today, so I've been doing all the chores, and I'm going to cook tonight. I must say that it has been a bit refreshing, having something to do instead of just listening to Lucie and Gabrielle argue over whose turn it is to play with my old doll, Catherine."

Toussaint was the only servant that Marius and Cosette had kept with them when they moved from Marius' grandfather's home and tried to fade out of the view of the public eye. This had largely been unsuccessful, as it was widely known that both parents of the Pontmercy family was extremely wealthy, and they were known for shelling out large sums to help the poor and downtrodden people of Paris.

They hadn't even thought that they needed any servants, but Toussaint's age had been quickly catching up with her, and there had been no real place for her to go after her employer's death except for with Cosette, whom she had known for almost half the girl's life.

"Well, love. I look forward to eating whatever you think up."

"I'm making soup, Marius. You saw it when we were in the kitchen just now. And, speaking of soup, it smells done to me. Will you take it off the fire while I set the table?"

After Cosette had set the table, she went upstairs to summon her sons for dinner, she found a truly adorable sight: little Raoul leaning against Philippe's shoulder, dozing softly with his mouth hanging open and little snores coming from him as his brother read to him from an old book of children's stories that Cosette's Papa had bought for her when she was only just learning to read.

She smiled, heart melting instantly at the sight of her boys. Philippe raised his eyebrows at his mother, as if shrugging, and gestured at his sleeping little brother, as if to say _get him off me!_

"It's supper time, Philippe. Papa's serving the soup and getting your sisters right now. You'd best wake Raoul, or else he won't sleep a wink tonight."

She lingered in the doorway just long enough to watch Philippe give his little brother a gentle shake, and to see Raoul yawn and rub the sleep from his eyes. He leaned back against Philippe, resenting being awoken from his nap. 

"Time for supper, Raoul. Maman's made soup, and Lucie and Gabi are waiting for us. I'll finish reading to you later."

Cosette was just starting down the stairs when she saw Philippe come out of the door carrying his little brother on his back, Raoul's arms around Philippe's neck. He sat him down in his seat between himself and Gabrielle.

Raoul was a messy eater, but what else could one really expect from a five year old who was hurrying to finish his dinner so he could return to playing? Philippe, however, was slower, taking the time to dab his mouth with a napkin between bites. As Gabrielle and Lucie rushed through their meal together so that they could return to whatever secret things they were doing in their room, Raoul tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Philippe to finish. 

"Raoul," Marius chastised. "Philippe will be finished eating soon, but he probably won't want to play with you as much if you make him hurry through the lovely dinner that Maman cooked."

"Sorry, Philippe. Just please eat fast, I really want you to finish reading to me."

When Philippe was finally finished eating, his little brother immediately took his hand and pulled him back upstairs to finish their book. Cosette cleared the table with Marius's help, and then they both migrated back into the salon, now child-free, Lucie and Gabrielle having long since disappeared back into their room.

Marius sat back down in his chair. Cosette brought a bowl of soup to Toussaint in her room, then wormed her way in next to her husband on the same chair, leaving the washing up for later.

"Isn't it adorable how much Raoul wants to be near Philippe?"

Marius nodded, and planted a kiss on Cosette's lips. "Oui. We have good children, my lark. I'm glad they can have that relationship. The closest thing I had to an actual sibling was my cousin Theodule, and he was so high and mighty that I would have never wanted to be near him."

"And Éponine and Azelma hated me."

Tiny footsteps pattered downstairs, and none other than Raoul appeared. He was wearing his nightshirt, and there were little stains around his mouth that indicated he had already cleaned his teeth.

"Goodnight, Maman. Goodnight, Papa. I was fallin' asleep, so Philippe told me to get ready for bed and say goodnight, and then he'd read to me until I'm sleeping."

"Goodnight, Raoul. Sweet dreams, my love."

Cosette and Marius each kissed Raoul on his silky hair, and he gave them each a kiss on the cheek.

Later, when Cosette saw her younger son sleeping soundly in a tangled up pile of sheets, she remembered that she had meant to iron them. 

Philippe was also in bed, with the light dimmed and finishing the book he had been reading earlier. His sheets were in a similar situation, only on his bed there was evidence of at least some attempt to smooth them out. 

"Goodnight, Philippe," Cosette said. "Thank you so much for being so patient with Raoul today. He completely adores you." 

"De Rien, Maman," said Philippe absentmindedly, flipping a page. "I do love Raoul, even if he always wants to play." 

Cosette laughed quietly, and kissed her oldest child on the forehead. 

"Oui, Philippe. Bonne nuit."

* * *

 "Are they all asleep?"

"Philippe is reading. Lucie and Gabrielle are giggling under the covers, but Raoul's fast asleep."  

Cosette sat down on her husband's lap, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, pressing a fierce kiss onto her lips. "So, they're not asleep?"

"Not all of them, no."

"In that case, ma princesse, I'll be happy to simply sit here and kiss you."

"Marius, I was going to clean the dinner dishes!" Cosette protested feebly, her heart not into it, preferring to stay in the salon and kiss the love of her life.

"Ah, that can wait. Have I told you that I love you lately?" His arms were warm, and his lips the same.

"Yes," she said between kisses. "Last night."

"Well, I love you, Cosette. So much."

She wrapped her arms back around his neck and sat as close to him as it was possible to be without actually merging her body into his own. The washing up could indeed wait.

"I love you too, Marius."

**Author's Note:**

> French translations:  
> Maman- mama  
> Chérie- sweetheart, dear  
> Mon ange- my angel  
> Bonsoir- good evening  
> Salut- a casual way of saying hello  
> Mes filles- my girls  
> De rien- it's nothing/you're welcome  
> Bonne nuit- good night  
> Ma princesse- my princess


End file.
